THE very first words of
the Bible make this simple but profound statement: “In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth.” (Gen. 1:1) It is true that we
have only a little understanding of the many things God created, such as space,
light, and gravity, and we have seen only a small fraction of the universe. (Eccl. 3:11) Yet, Jehovah
has revealed to us his purpose for the earth and for mankind. The earth was to
be an ideal home for men and women created in God’s image. (Gen. 1:26) They would be
his children, and Jehovah would be their Father.

COMMENTS

Simple does not mean
understood, simple to whom….thousands of years per WTS (42,000 years, 6
creative days of 7,000 years each although not mentioned much thought not
adjusted or clarified), 6 24 hour days per some creationist Christians, or 4.6
billion years just for the formation of the planet earth and the surrounding
solar system and more for the universe?How
simple is that?

What is God’s purpose
then for the rest of his creation in heaven, does that exist in a vacuum apart
from his purpose for this planet?

Are women created in God’s
image?Or is there an exception?

1 Corinthians 11:7, 87 For a man should not have his head
covered, as he is God’s image and glory, but the woman is man’s glory. 8 For man did not come from woman, but
woman came from man.

Insight Book, Vol. 2 p.782RESPECT

Among family members. A wife is rightly to manifest wholesome fear, or deep
respect, for her husband as head of the family. (Eph 5:33) This
harmonizes with the preeminence given to man in God’s
arrangement. Man, not woman, was created first, and he is “God’simage and glory.” (1Co 11:7-9; 1Ti 2:11-13)

Or

*** g80 4/8 p. 5 People-How They Began ***

In a particular respect man
was in God's image where woman was not-in headship. (1 Cor. 11:3, 7) Both
the man and the woman shared in being in God's likeness insofar as each one
possessed the divine attributes given at the time of their creation.

*** w72 7/15 p. 445 Woman's Regard for
Headship-How Demonstrated? ***

Unlike the woman, the man
does not have an earthly head over him when it comes to matters relating to his
wife and children. Hence in this respect he alone is "God's
image."

2 As explained in the third chapter of Genesis,
Jehovah’s purpose encountered a challenge. (Gen. 3:1-7) However, that
challenge was by no means insurmountable. No one can stand in Jehovah’s way. (Isa. 46:10, 11; 55:11) Therefore, we can
be certain that Jehovah’s original purpose will be fulfilled exactly on time!

COMMENTS

After only 30 years of a
human on earth, shortly after Eve’s creation, problems in paradise.After 42,000 years of making the earth ready
for human life (per the WTS) it is wrecked. And according to WTS timekeeping,
it has been over 6,000 years and it is still not fixed.

3. (a) What truths are
fundamental to our understanding of the Bible’s message? (b) Why do we
review such teachings now? (c) What questions will we consider?

3 No doubt, we are familiar
with Bible truths about God’s purpose for the earth and mankind and about
the central role of Jesus Christ in the outworking of God’s purpose. They are
of fundamental importance and are likely among the first truths we learned when
we began to study God’s Word. We, in turn, want to help sincere people to
become familiar with these vital teachings. Currently, as we are considering
this article as a congregation, we are striving to invite as many people as
possible to the Memorial of Christ’s death. (Luke 22:19, 20) Those
who attend will learn much regarding God’s purpose. So in these last few days
before the Memorial, it is timely that we think about specific questions that
we can use to stimulate the interest of our Bible students and other sincere
individuals in this important event. We will consider three questions: What was
God’s original purpose for the earth and mankind? What went wrong? And why is
Jesus’ ransom sacrifice the key that unlocks the door for God’s purpose to be
accomplished?

COMMENTS

Familiar with the WTS
interpretation of their version of bible “truths.”Seems like life for humans is the most
important not God’s name.Yes, tell
people they are invited to a meal but they cannot eat or drink. Specific questions that hide the end game of
the WTS.Yes, eternal life on a paradise
earth never dying surrounded by resurrected loved ones…after God has over 8
billion destroyed forever, including babes in the womb, babies, children all
unable to make a personal decision but dead forever because of their parents.

WHAT WAS THE CREATOR’S ORIGINAL PURPOSE?

4. How does creation declare
Jehovah’s glory?

4 Jehovah is an
awe-inspiring Creator. Everything he creates meets the highest standards. (Gen. 1:31; Jer. 10:12) What can we
learn from the beauty and order that are evident in creation? When observing
creation, we are impressed with the way all of Jehovah’s creative works, small
and large, serve a beneficial purpose. Who does not marvel at the intricacies
of the human cell, the delicateness of a newborn baby, or the splendor of a
gorgeous sunset? We admire these creations because we have a built-in sense of
what is truly beautiful.—Read Psalm 19:1;104:24.

COMMENTS

So
why after millions of living in heaven, did an angel and later other angels
abandon that life, seeing god and his activities, participating in them, choose
to trick humans into a choice that lead to permanent death?And god let it happen?Would you stand by while someone tricked your
child into hurting himself?

Beauty
in the WTS means whatever the COBOE and other elders believe it is.No beards for men, no double ear piercings
for some sisters, no tight pants, no brown dress shoes, only white shorts on
the platform at assemblies and conventions, no dyed hair, no black nail polish
(or navy or lime green), Only skirts for sisters, except if you are cleaning
out the barn and working in the garden.

5. How does Jehovah ensure
that all creation functions harmoniously?

5 As is evident in
creation, Jehovah lovingly set boundaries. He made both natural laws and moral
laws to ensure that everything functions harmoniously. (Ps. 19:7-9) Hence, all
things in the universe have an assigned place and function according to their
role in God’s purpose. Jehovah sets the standard for how his creation should
work together. Thus, the law of gravity holds the atmosphere close to the
earth, regulates tides and oceans, and contributes to the physical order
essential to life on earth. All creation, including humans, moves and functions
within these boundaries. Clearly, the order in creation testifies that God has
a purpose for earth and mankind. In our ministry, can we draw attention to the
Cause of this impressive order?—Rev. 4:11.

COMMENTS

God sets boundaries, but
the WTS takes it many steps forward, because the rank and file jw cannot
understand god’s word like they can.Law
of gravity, don’t the astronauts in heaven work without gravity.So are physical laws the same as moral
laws?Is order a flowerbed with
carefully chosen flowers or the blanket of random flowers in a field?

6, 7. What are some gifts that
Jehovah gave Adam and Eve?

6 Jehovah’s original
purpose was for mankind to live forever here on earth. (Gen. 1:28; Ps. 37:29) He generously gave Adam and Eve a variety of precious gifts that enabled
them to enjoy life. (Read James 1:17.) Jehovah gave them free will, the
ability to reason, and the capacity to love and to enjoy friendship.
The Creator spoke to Adam and instructed him on how to show his obedience. Adam
also learned how to take care of his needs and how to care for the animals and
the land. (Gen. 2:15-17, 19, 20) Jehovah also
created Adam and Eve with the senses of taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell.
Thus they could enjoy to the full the beauty and bounty of their Paradise
home. For the first human pair, the possibilities for satisfying work, accomplishment,
and discovery were endless.

COMMENTS

Note as in the case of
what a “cult” is the WTS provides their own definition of what “free will” is.Does this fit in with the many rules about
what we can eat, wear, do for work, where and how we will live?

Does God Care/How We Are Madep.10-11

3 Let us consider how free
will is involved in God’s permission of suffering. To begin with, think about
this: Do you appreciate having the
freedom to choose what you will do and say, what you will eat and wear, what
kind of work you will do, and where and how you will live? Or would you want
someone to dictate your every word and action every moment of your life?

4 No normal person wants
his life taken out of his control so completely. Why not? Because of the way
God made us. The Bible tells us that God created man in his ‘image and
likeness,’ and one of the faculties God
himself has is freedom of choice. (Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 7:6) When he created humans, he
gave them that same wonderful faculty—the gift of free will. That is one reason
why we find it frustrating to be enslaved by oppressive rulers.

7 What else was part of
God’s purpose? Jehovah created Adam and Eve with the ability to have perfect
children. God had in mind for their children to have children, until the human
family filled the whole earth. He wanted Adam and Eve and all parents after
them to love their children as Jehovah loved his first perfect human children.
Earth, with all its resources, was to become their permanent home.—Ps. 115:16.

COMMENTS

To have children, then
why did they not have children yet, why didn’t they realize they were making
the choice for their children as well…how smart were they?

8 Things did not
immediately work out as God had purposed. Why not? Jehovah gave Adam and Eve a
simple law that served to test whether they recognized the limits of their
freedom. He said: “From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction.
But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat from it,
for in the day you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Gen. 2:16, 17) It was
not hard for Adam and Eve to understand this law; nor was it a hardship for
them to obey it. After all, they had more food available than they could eat.

COMMENTS

Simple law…did they
understand that their choice would kill any future children they had?If it were not hard to obey, why did both of
them fail, perfect humans!Imperfect
humans have since been able to choose to obey God.Why did God let one of his nonearthly
creations trick them and later not warm Abel about Cain’s plans?Where is the love in that?

9, 10. (a) What accusation
did Satan hurl against Jehovah? (b) What did Adam and Eve decide? (See
opening image.)

9 Satan the Devil, using a
serpent, fooled Eve into disobeying her Father, Jehovah. (Read Genesis 3:1-5; Rev. 12:9) Satan made an
issue of the fact that God’s human children were not allowed to eat “from every
tree of the garden.” It was as if he were saying: ‘You mean you cannot do what
you want?’ Next, he told a blatant lie: “You certainly will not die.” Then he
tried to convince Eve that she need not listen to God, saying: “God knows that
in the very day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened.” Satan implied that Jehovah
did not want them to eat the fruit because doing so would enlighten them.
Further, Satan made this false promise: “You will be like God, knowing good and
bad.”

COMMENTS

Why did the perfect woman
not realize that snakes did not talk and that this must be something else and
ask Adam.I’m imperfect and that’s what
I would have done.So it seems that Adam
had failed in his teaching/study with Eve about living on earth.

10 Now Adam and Eve had to
decide what to do. Would they obey Jehovah, or would they listen to the
serpent? They decided to disobey God. By doing so, they joined Satan’s
rebellion. They rejected Jehovah as their Father and estranged themselves from
the security of his protective rule.—Gen. 3:6-13.

COMMENTS

Their decision was not
made together,She had already
decided.Did Adam talk to the serpent in
Genesis?My questions on this story have
become so many lacking sensible answers, I no longer believe this really
happened.It is like the early creation
statement, simple but not understandable in the light of simple facts.

11. Why does Jehovah not
tolerate rebellion?

11 By rebelling against
Jehovah, Adam and Eve lost their perfection. Moreover, their rebellion resulted
in alienation from Jehovah because his “eyes are too pure to look on what is
evil.” Therefore, he “cannot tolerate wickedness.” (Hab. 1:13) If he had
tolerated it, the well-being of all living creatures—in heaven and on
earth—would be threatened. Above all, had God done nothing about the sin
committed in Eden, his own trustworthiness would have been called into
question. But Jehovah is faithful to his own standards; he never violates them.
(Ps. 119:142) Thus, having
free will did not entitle Adam and Eve to disregard God’s law. As a consequence
of rebelling against Jehovah, they died and returned to the dust from which
they had been created.—Gen. 3:19.

COMMENTS

God does not tolerate
rebellion but punishment differs for the same things.Adam and Eve died before 1,000 years but
Satan lives on thousands of years after they died.Even in the 1914 battle in heaven per the
WTS, he still lives on contained in the vicinity of the earth.And even when the rest of the wicked humans
die forever at Armaggeddon he still lives in in the abyss for another 1,000
years.

12. What happened to Adam’s
children?

12 When Adam and Eve ate of
that fruit, they put themselves in a position where they could no longer be
accepted as members of God’s universal family. God expelled them from Eden, and
they had no hope of ever returning. (Gen. 3:23, 24) In
doing so, Jehovah justly made them face the consequences of their own decision.
(Read Deuteronomy 32:4, 5.)
No longer perfect, man could not reflect God’s qualities perfectly. Adam
not only lost a marvelous future for himself but also handed down to his
children imperfection, sin, and death. (Rom. 5:12) He deprived his
offspring of the prospect of life without end. Furthermore, Adam and Eve could
no longer have a perfect child; neither could any of their children have a
perfect child. After turning Adam and Eve away from God, Satan the Devil has
continued to mislead mankind until today.—John 8:44.

COMMENTS

Yes, Adam and Even were
df’d from God’s universal family….no chance to be reinstated though.But god has allowed humans to procreate, kill
each other, without providing laws for them until the Law code which the WTS
was designed just to prove they could do nothing to get back the life Adam and
Eve lost.

THE RANSOM HEALS A RIFT

13. What does Jehovah want
for mankind?

13 God’s love for humans,
however, endures. Despite Adam and Eve’s rebellion, Jehovah wants mankind to
enjoy a good relationship with him. He does not desire any to die. (2 Pet. 3:9) So right
after the rebellion, God made arrangements to enable humans to restore their
friendship with him while he at the same time maintained his own righteous
standards. How did Jehovah accomplish this?

COMMENTS

He may say he loves
humans; but he has thousands to die of disease, war, etc., and blamed it on
them, even small children executed eternally at the flood and Sodom and
Gomorrah have no chance of a resurrection because their parents sinned.

14. (a) According to John 3:16, what provision
did God make to restore mankind? (b) What question might we consider with
interested ones?

14 Read John 3:16. Many
whom we invite to the Memorial will know this verse by heart. But the question
is, How does Jesus’ sacrifice make everlasting life possible? The
Memorial campaign, the Memorial itself, and the calls we later make on those
who attended may provide us with the opportunity to help sincere truth-seekers
to understand the answer to that important question. Such ones may be impressed
when they begin to understand to a fuller degree how Jehovah’s love and wisdom
are expressed by the ransom provision. What points about the ransom could we
highlight?

COMMENTS

Do many JWS know what
this verse says without looking it up?Everlasting life, the carrot dangled in front of non-jws and the one
that jws cling to despite the serious flaws they see in the WTS.Why not the so-called most important issue
god’s sovereignty?Do new jws see the
love of members of the WTS towards their fellow believers as time goes on?

15. How did the man Jesus
differ from the man Adam?

15 Jehovah provided a
perfect man who could become the ransomer. That perfect man would
need to be loyal to Jehovah and be willing to give his life in exchange for
doomed humanity. (Rom. 5:17-19) Jehovah transferred
the life of his very first creation from heaven to earth. (John 1:14) Jesus thus
became a perfect human, just as Adam had been. But unlike Adam, Jesus lived up
to the standard Jehovah expected from a perfect man. Even under the most
extreme tests, Jesus never sinned nor broke any of God’s laws.

COMMENTS

Do non-jws believe that
Jesus was only a perfect man?Maybe that
issue needs to be addressed first or the ransom could be invalidated.How did god “transfer” Jesus life to Mary’s
womb; much like invitro fertilization, but in this case where the father is not
the husband?Does WTS policy allow that
for its members or is it considered adultery?

W12 12/15 p.1

When
fertilization involving eggs or sperm (or both) from someone not within the
marital union occurs, this amounts to what the Bible terms por·neiʹa, sexual
immorality. Those procedures are a gross misuse of
the sexual organs.—Matt. 5:32; 1 Cor.
5:11; 6:9, 18; Heb. 13:4.

16. Why is the ransom such a
precious gift?

16 As a perfect man, Jesus
could save humankind from sin and death by dying in their behalf. He corresponded exactly
to all that Adam should have been—a perfect man, absolutely loyal and obedient
to God. (1 Tim. 2:6) Jesus
became the ransom sacrifice that opened the way to endless life “for many”—men,
women, and children. (Matt. 20:28) Indeed, the
ransom is the key that unlocks the door to the fulfillment of God’s original
purpose. (2 Cor. 1:19, 20)
The ransom gives all faithful humans the prospect of everlasting life.

COMMENTS

Could Jesus be a perfect
man if he was the result of an adulterous union?“For many” opened only for jws and children
of jws.Even all faithful humans (or
jws) only have the prospect, no guarantee.

JEHOVAH OPENED THE DOOR FOR US TO RETURN

17. What does the ransom make
possible?

17 Jehovah provided the
ransom at great cost to himself. (1 Pet. 1:19) He
values humanity so highly that he was willing to let his only-begotten Son die
in our behalf. (1 John 4:9, 10)
In a sense, Jesus takes the place of our original human father, Adam. (1 Cor. 15:45) By
doing so, Jesus restores more than life; he gives us the opportunity to return
eventually to God’s family. Yes, on the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice, Jehovah can
accept humans back into his family without compromising his righteousness. Is
it not heartwarming to think of a time when all faithful humans will be brought
to perfection? There will be complete unity between the heavenly and earthly
parts of his family. In the fullest sense, we will all be children of God.—Rom. 8:21.

COMMENTS

Did you know that the WTS
teaches that only the “anointed” upon baptism are returned to God’s family that
the rest, other sheep do not return until the final test at the end of the
1,000 year reign of Christ?That upon
death and resurrection to a spirt creature, the anointed are made perfect
instantly, but the rest take 1,000 years to reach that point?

18. When will Jehovah become
“all things to everyone”?

18 Satan’s rebellion did not
stop Jehovah from extending his love to mankind, nor can it prevent even
imperfect humans from being loyal to Jehovah. Through his provision of the
ransom, Jehovah will help all of his children to become completely righteous.
Imagine what life will be like when everyone “who recognizes the Son and
exercises faith” will have everlasting life. (John 6:40) With great love
and wisdom, Jehovah will bring the human family to perfection, according to his
original purpose. Jehovah, our Father, will then become “all things to
everyone.”—1 Cor. 15:28.

COMMENTS

“all of his children”
144,000 upon death and resurrection, instantly perfect, but the rest take 1,000
years.

19 Gratitude for the ransom
should motivate us to do all we can to make others aware that they can benefit
from that priceless gift. People need to know that the ransom is the means by
which Jehovah lovingly offers all mankind the prospect of everlasting life.
Still, the ransom accomplished even more than that. The next article will
consider how Jesus’ sacrifice also addresses the moral issues that were raised
by Satan back in the garden of Eden.

COMMENTS

“make others aware that
they can beneift” only if they become jws.

*** w89 9/1 p. 19 Remaining Organized for Survival Into the Millennium ***7 Only
Jehovah’s Witnesses, those of the anointed remnant and the “great crowd,” as a
united organization under the protection of the Supreme Organizer, have any
Scriptural hope of surviving the impending end of this doomed system dominated
by Satan the Devil.

Let Us Keep Searching Out
Deserving Ones

THE Memorial invitation
is one of the most widely circulated publications that we print. Last year, we
produced some 440,000,000 copies in more than 530 languages. Do you still have
some printed copies of this year’s invitation that you could distribute before
the Memorial? One of the remaining invitations that you have might help a
deserving one to make the decision to attend the Memorial. Who knows?—Matt. 10:11.

Blondi, thanks, yes they are. assuming that "god" is eternal, (because there always must have been time), and the universe started in a point of that time, then the universe and us were, and still are inside "god" so, the female is one of the perfect presentation of "god"

As is evident in creation, Jehovah lovingly set boundaries. He made both natural laws and moral laws to ensure that everything functions harmoniously.

It is only "evident" if you have not studied biology or astronomy to see that things don't always work that way. Things appear orderly to us because we only live for a short time. In reality, life on Earth and the universe itself has been in a constant state of change since the beginning.

Yes, FedUp, that is an unintentional funny on my part. My mind was on my husband walking by in his jockeys. I told him about my faux pas and he said, "it would have been funny it you had left the "r" out of shirts."

waton, JW Rogue, excellent comments out the narrow and uneducated concepts of the WTS.

I like this quote Blondie from the WT - " When fertilization involving eggs or sperm ( or both ) from someone not within the marital union occurs , this amounts to what the Bible terms porneia - sexual immorality. Those procedures are a gross misuse of the sexual organs. "

Uh-huh. So I guess that means God, Jehovah - or whatever people call him - should have been disfellowshipped for impregnating the woman Mary- as she WAS married to Joseph at the time. I guess " God " or " Jehovah " is allowed to flout his own rules that he imposes on mankind. One of the many reasons I'm a practicing agnostic / atheist. Peace out, Mr. Flipper

Ah, yes. The "dented bread pan" concept of Adam and Eve's imperfection being passed down to successive generations. Any breeder of farm animals knows that those defective ones get a place on the dinner table, NOT used for breeding. Billions of successive lives victimized. Sad.

This topic of a substitution atonement component to the ransom (Jesus for Adam) was why Charles Russell split from Nelson H. Barbour (co-publisher of Herald of the Morning) and started to publish Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence (July 1879, first issue)

This can be shown with Proclaimers pg 46-47, but a better job is done by M. James Penton in Apocalypse Delayed pg.23-24. He explains it in a balanced way, in greater detail, and above all - Cites his sources in an index.

One aspect not covered by WT literature that Penton shows, is how certain aspects of this Ransom doctrine lead to on of the big splits among the Bible Students. The so-called "New Covenant Schism". Apocalypse Delayed pg 40.

Answer: Because he didnt function in the role as chesspiece in the game of sovereignty.

The Creator spoke to Adam and instructed him on how to show his obedience. Adam also learned how to take care of his needs and how to care for the animals and the land.

God " instructed him on how to show his obedience." God is in the innerst a dictatorial god

As dictator god he leads in a dictatorial style and makes order and wants us to be submissive slaves class members.

As dictator "god" he is interested in his "Sovereignty" on the first place, its his highest goal, its the game of the unviverse, all have to take part and are chesspieces in the game of sovereinty.

Adam sinned so fast because he didnt understand the lession in obedience, that he was part of big game.

The universal family needs order and obedience.

Jehovah is the universal family head that deserves respect and honor.

"That perfect man would need to be loyal to Jehovah and be willing to give his life in exchange for doomed humanity." - mankind is doome

Jehovah also instruct his son Jesus how to show obedience and to function, to live up to his role in the sovereignty game.

19 Gratitude for the ransom should motivate us to do all we can to make others aware that they can benefit from that priceless gift. People need to know that the ransom is the means by which Jehovah lovingly offers all mankind the prospect of everlasting life. Still, the ransom accomplished even more than that. The next article will consider how Jesus’ sacrifice also addresses the moral issues that were raised by Satan back in the garden of Eden.

priceless gift or offer?

As without acceptance of god sovereignty the gift is worthless it remains an offer.